2 PACs that donated to area GOP candidates must shut down

Tuesday

Apr 22, 2014 at 3:10 PMApr 22, 2014 at 3:17 PM

By John J. Monahan TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

BOSTON — A group of Republican legislative candidates from Central Massachusetts were among the beneficiaries of improper campaign donations in 2012 from three political action committees that state officials allege were improperly coordinated by Republican National Committee woman Chanel Prunier of Shrewsbury.

The donations were the subject of an audit by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, which reached an agreement to settle allegations that the three PACs worked in unison to direct $24,000 in excessive donations to a number of candidates, in excess of the $500 per candidate donation limit.

Among the candidates who received two or three $500 donations from the PACs in 2012 were: former state Rep. Richard Bastien of Gardner; state Rep. Peter J. Durant, R-Spencer; state Rep. Kevin J. Kuros, R-Uxbridge; former state Rep. Stephen Levy, R-Marlboro; state Rep. Ryan C. Fattman, R-Webster; and state representative candidate Richard A. Eustis of Medway.

The settlement announced Tuesday by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance called for the three PACs to pay $17,500 from their donor funds to the state treasury, and for two of the three PACS to be closed.

State campaign finance officials said the Massachusetts Republican Municipal Coalition PAC, started by Ms. Prunier in 2006, could remain operating under the terms of the settlement agreement. Two others, the Massachusetts Independent PAC for Working Families, chaired by Robert Bradley, and Catholic Citizens PAC, chaired by Joanne Powell, would shut down.

The agreement states that Ms. Prunier regularly recommended to the chairmen of the two other PACs that they support particular candidates, and that the chairmen of those two PACs issued checks to candidate campaigns that she had suggested.

OCPF officials said in cases where PACs share that kind of coordination they have to be considered a single PAC for purposes of the maximum donations allowed for each candidate. They said they found 25 instances in which candidates received contributions from two or more of the PACs that added up to more than the $500 per candidate limit.

OCPF's review concluded that Ms. Prunier had significant influence in determining which candidates would be supported and drafted fundraising letters for the three PACs. In addition, they said in many instances, the contributions were made on the same day an in the same amount by more than one of the PACs.

Ms. Prunier said today that while she disagrees with the OCPF's claim that the PACs acted in an affiliated fashion, she does not deny that she frequently recommended who the two other PACS should support with donations. She added that she agreed to the settlement to avoid what would have been a very costly legal fight over OCPF's application of the rules.

"I disagree with interpretation of the regulations to begin with," Ms. Prunier told the Telegram & Gazette, adding the other two PACS at times supported different candidates than her Republican Municipaly PAC.

"I certainly did not control all of the PACS," she said. She said she is not paid for the PAC work and does it on a voluntary basis.

"People ask me for my advice on who needs help and that sort of thing," she said of recommending candidates to the other PACS. "I certainly know all the people involved and made recommendations and talked about it with them," she said of working with the other two PACS.

She said that at this point, she is not sure if she will use it to raise funds for candidates this year, but she said she is pleased that her PAC remains open.

She added that Democrats benefit from many unions supporting the same candidates to get multiple donations from labor.

"They can just stack them up. All those unions can target the same Democratic candidates," she said.

According to OCPF, all PACs are subject to the same restrictions against affiliated operations.

Contact reporter John Monahan at john.monahan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TGstatehouse.